Letter: What was holding Love back before?

(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Mia Love, the former two-term republican representative from Utah's 4th Congressional District held a press conference at the Utah Republican Party headquarters, Nov. 26, 2018 to discuss her accomplishments, Washington politics, President Donald Trump and her future. Love was joined at the lecturn with her parents Mary Bourdeau and Jean Maxine Bourdeau, husband Jason, daughter Alessa and son Peyton.

I was happy when Mia Love first got elected to Congress with the hope that a fresh face from a first-generation minority immigrant might be a start to meaningful change for Utah and our country.

Now, with Ms. Love’s crybaby response to her recent defeat (which happened in spite of the Tribune’s endorsement), she has provided ample reason to believe my original viewpoint was not correct.

In her news conference and various cable news appearances, former Rep. Love talked about how she is now “unleashed, untethered and unshackled” to say exactly what is on her mind. And that raises questions in my mind, such as, who or what were you leashed or shackled to? Were you beholden to someone? Who or what was holding you back? Did you keep silent or speak out on issues only to pacify special interests? If so, how is that representing your constituents’ needs or promoting the values that you say you espouse?

With everything that our current president has done and said in the past 2½ years to divide our country, to undercut the rule of law and go against the values and traditions of our great nation, where were you as our outspoken defender? It is easy to say that you have now seen the light and are going to fight for what is right and just, but in my view, your time has come and gone. You have shown your true colors.

You called Ben McAdams a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and that may well be true. But from where I sit, given the serious challenges facing our state and our country, for the time being, I’d much rather have him than a sheep in sheep’s clothing.